Not, perhaps, a main attraction, but an entertaining sideshow.
A glib huckster presents a pageant of astonishing animal species.
Forty-one astounding animals parade across the author’s imaginary stage, each accompanied by a recitation of its unusual characteristics. These “wonders of Mother Nature” have been grouped into seven chapters: animals with glorious coloration, survivors from the age of dinosaurs, animals that disguise themselves, those that have unusual eating habits, animals with unusual body parts, animals that can light up, and those that have excellent self-defense. There are sharks and fish, insects and worms, birds, crabs, reptiles, amphibians, ocean invertebrates, and even some unusual mammals. They come from land and sea, all over the world. Each amazing creature is presented on a page with a title of fancy lettering, a portrait, and a paragraph or two of description that usually includes where it might be found. The tone of the text is showmanlike and the language probably difficult for the intended audience to read, but it’s appropriate for performance. These creatures are modestly recognizable in the cartoony illustrations. They sport googly eyes and occasional tattoos, hats and canes, as well as smiles. The Czech publisher focuses on a combination of play and education; this lively presentation, part of their World of Amazement series, does just that for children who enjoy learning about the out-of-the-ordinary. From alligator snapping turtle to yeti crab, featured creatures are listed in an index in the back.
Not, perhaps, a main attraction, but an entertaining sideshow. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-80-00-05930-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Albatros Media
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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